


When You Wish

by Twackycat



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe, Canon Divergence - Revenge of the Sith, Family, Father-Son Relationship, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Little Luke, Time Travel
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-03-07
Updated: 2016-03-12
Packaged: 2018-05-25 07:36:02
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 13,978
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6186094
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Twackycat/pseuds/Twackycat
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Seven year old Luke Skywalker has been raised by one of the most feared men in the galaxy, his father. After a failed escape attempt, he is given a chance to help his father correct his mistakes, before he makes them. Will Luke be able to stop his father's spiral into darkness?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Prologue

A small blond haired boy lay in the corner of a dimly lit cell, shivering as he clutched a thin jacket. He barely had the strength to lift his head just enough to see a large black mound suddenly thrown into the call with him. This had an immediate effect as the boy scrambled to the mound’s side, ignoring the presence of the crimson garbed guards and the inky black presence of the Emperor standing behind them.

  
“Father!” A small broken cry tumbled out of the boy's mouth as he gently laid his tiny hands on the black mound. After a second of silence, a mechanical wheezing stuttered from the form. “Father, please!” Slowly, and obviously painfully, the mound started to unfurl. A heavily damaged mask and the source of the sound lifted up a little. At the same time he also raised a shaky hand, and with a gentleness unthinkable by the man's size, strokes the boy's face.

  
“Luke…” The boy, Luke, leaned his face into the touch and kept the larger hand there with his own two tiny hands. “My son…” Tears started leaking out of the boy's eyes as he clung to his father's hand. His father's voice was hardly louder than a whisper, and the damage done to his vocoder was painfully clear.

  
The family moment was broken by an evil cackle from the dark form that was still watching them from behind crimson guards. As the form started forward the crimson parted to allow it through.

  
“What a touching family moment.” The oily voice that came from the darkest man in the universe sent shivers up Luke's spine. “Too bad the whole family isn't here.” Luke blanched at the thought of his twin sister cruelly gunned down a couple of days ago. The boy's father had a different reaction. Instead he struggled to face their tormentor and managed to haul himself to his feet.

  
“You will not harm my son.” In response the other man cackled again. Seconds later, a blinding light filled the dimly lit cell. An inhuman sound filled the air as Luke’s father collapsed underneath the barrage of Force lightning. After a few seconds the Emperor withdrew his attack, leaving his father’s respirator struggling to work as he gasped for breath.

  
“You are not in any shape to protect yourself, let alone your son.” A smile of yellowed teeth appeared from the shadows of the hood and Luke couldn’t help but shiver at the sight. From the floor his father tried to once again regain his footing as as small protest escaped from him.

  
Another greasy chuckle emanated from the Emperor as he raised his gnarled hands, pointing them towards where Luke was lying on the floor. The boy froze as he stared up at the pair of decrepit hands, nothing but pure terror racing through him. A few small bursts of lightning crackled amongst his fingertips before striking out to rain down on the young boy.

  
Lightning seared across his little body in a web like pattern as a high keen of pain escaped him. Luke collapsed onto the floor and attempted to curl up into a ball to ease his suffering. As the physical attack continued, he felt an oily, dark and purely evil presence lurking just outside his mind. The presence seemed to circle his mind, looking for a weakness, and when it found one; it struck.

  
It was nothing like his father’s dark grey, commanding yet gentle presence that Luke had always sought comfort in. It tore through his mind with little care to the damage done, simply seeking the quickest way to cause the greatest amount of pain. The mostly untrained boy tried a few vain attempts to force the presence from his mind, and only received a spike in pain for his efforts.

  
“Father!” The blond boy didn't know if he'd cried for his only remaining family in actuality or through the Force, not that it mattered as long as his father heard it. A few precious seconds ticked by before Luke felt another presence burst into his mind. This however was the soothing presence of his father, and instantly he felt the Emperor's greasy presence fade away.

  
“I'll be kind one last time Vader. I'll give you your last few minutes alone with your son.” Luke’s eyes cracked open barely wide enough to watch the Emperor’s cloaked form fade away from sight followed immediately by his crimson guards.

  
The boy's entire body was wracked with shivers as he dragged himself the last foot needed to press his miniscule size into his father all encompassing form. He couldn't help as his body continued to seize as if he was still being struck by lightning.

  
“Luke…” The blond boy forced his eyes open to look up at his father's helmeted head. “Help me… Remove my mask…” Any other time he would have protested, knowing the importance of the built in respirator to his father's life. Even as untrained as he was, Luke could still feel his father's presence in the force slipping away from him.

  
Luke fumbled with the latches more than he normally did, tiny fingers trembling, but eventually be pulled the mask away from his father’s face. The mask clattered to the floor as two pairs of identical striking blue eyes met. No matter how many times he'd seen them before, Luke was still entranced by how much his own eyes matched his father's.

  
As before, the father raised a hand, with far more gentleness than would be assumed, to cup the son’s cheek. He could feel his son’s minute trembling through the touch, and carefully wiped away the single tear that had started to fall from his son’s eye.

  
“I don't have long now… Luke promise me you will not make the same mistake I made… Do not give yourself over to Palpatine... Escape the first chance you have… No matter what he says, do not join the dark side… It takes more than it will give and the price is not worth it… My biggest regret is that I ever trusted Palpatine… I love you, Luke… Don't ever forget that… my son…”

  
With a final shuddering breath, he leaned forward and pressed his lips against his son's forehead. Luke felt his father's last breath leave him as he went limp, falling away from their embrace. For a second the lost little boy just stared at his father’s closed eyes before closing his own and curling up, pressing his form against his father's body.

  
‘I wish I could have been there to save him.’ A body wracking sob escaped the broken boy as he repeated the thought over and over again in his mind. As he started to drift off into unconsciousness, he suddenly felt a strong presence in the force wrap warmth around him. It only stayed there for a second before he felt as if he was falling.

  
He landed with a thud that sent another wave of pain through his already ruined body. A cry escaped his lips before he could bite it back. A few seconds later he heard the fall of footsteps, rapidly approaching. A hand resting gently on his shoulder made him jump and whimper slightly at the new wave of pain.

  
“Hey, are you okay? Will you look at me?” Luke complied with the achingly familiar voice and cracked his eyes open. He was met with a concerned pair of identical striking blue eyes that matched his own staring down at him.


	2. Chapter 1

_He could clearly see a lovely face, framed in dark brown curls crying out in pain. His Padme! His angel! Why was his Padme in pain? He tried to reach out to her stop the pain she was in, but she was just out of reach. His beloved angel shrieked again and was soon joined by a high pitched wail. Their child! For a second his heart stopped racing, everything was fine. This was natural._

  
_He held out his arms for his newborn child, but they were never given to him. He could still hear them crying but he couldn't comfort them. He didn't even know their gender yet! Then his heart froze as he started to feel her presence slip away from him._

  
_He once again tried to reach her only to be held back by some invisible force. He screamed till his voice was raw, but she couldn't hear him. Yet he could hear her take her final shuddering breath as their child’s cry continued to crescendo._

  
A tall dirty blond man, sat up suddenly in his bed. His heart hammered in his chest as he took huge gulps of air to try and calm himself. His mind was racing a mile a minute as he thought about his dream.

  
_Padme would die in childbirth._ He tried to chase the thought away, passing it off as a simple nightmare. But he had thought the visions of his mother had just been nightmares, and look how that turned out. He simply couldn't ignore the sinking feeling in his heart that this was no ordinary nightmare.

  
“Ani?” From beside him, his wife, his pregnant wife, stirred from her sleep. Sleepily she rolled over and smiled tiredly up at him. The blond man carefully reached over and brushed a curl of hair behind her ear.

  
“It's nothing Angel. Go back to sleep.” She had just mumbled in acceptance when a bright flash came from the other side of the door, followed by a thud. Immediately both adults were tense and wide awake.

  
“Ani-" Padme tried to grab a hold of her husband’s arm as he swung his legs over the side of the bed, but he was too fast. He swiped his lightsaber from where it was sitting on the nightstand and started to creep towards the door.

  
“Stay in here. I'll deal with whatever's out there.” Before his wife could protest, he slipped out of their bedroom and into the hallway. All semblance of secrecy fled as his eyes came to rest on a small crumpled form lying at the end of the hallway.

  
In seconds he was kneeling next to the tiny figure, carefully reaching out to rest a hand on the smaller form’s shoulder and rolled them to see his eyes shut tight. Underneath his hand, he felt the boy jump and a small whimper of pain escaped him.

  
“Hey, are you okay? Will you look at me?” He asked this softly, and was rewarded with striking blue eyes staring up at him. For a second he was stunned by how much they were like his own before he recognized the unfocused, glazed over look of pain.

  
“Anakin?” He heard his wife calling him as she opened the door just a crack. However it was enough for her to see the boy. The next thing he knew he had his wife on the floor next to him, reaching out towards the boy. Gently he stopped her, and silenced her with a look when she opened her mouth to object.

  
“Padme, he's in a great deal of pain, we don't want to accidentally cause him any more pain.” Anakin looked back at the boy, who had curled in upon himself. Agony rolled off the boy in waves through the Force. It was crystal clear to him that the boy was very strong in the Force, yet had very little, if any, training.

  
“We need to take him to the hospital!” Padme said this as she started to stand. Anakin however shook his head.

  
“ _I_ need to take him to the Halls of Healing. He's Force sensitive, and very strong but untrained.” With a sigh his wife reluctantly nodded and took a step away, knowing she couldn't help if the Jedi were involved.

  
Slowly Anakin reached through the Force towards the boy. The boy's bright signature was clearly dulled with pain. While he certainly was no healer, Anakin knew about relieving pain through the Force.

  
The instant the man’s Force signature barely brushed the boy’s mind, he got a reaction. The boy let out a wail as he lashed out wildly with his limbs. At the same time he let out a huge wave of energy in the force, very effectively throwing Anakin from his mind. Anakin let out a gasp but immediately regained his senses and gently grasp the boy's wrists to keep him from thrashing anymore.

  
“You're okay little one. I'm not going to hurt you. Just calm down.” Anakin didn't know where the nickname had come from, but it just felt right. The man continued to speak to the boy in a calming voice and slowly he stopped fighting and curled up in his lap. “Can you tell me your name, little one?”

  
“Luke Sky-walker" The boy’s last name was mumbled and broken up by a yawn but Anakin swore the boy, Luke, had said Skywalker. Glancing over his shoulder at Padme, it was clear she had heard the same thing. He however decided to ignore it for the time being; there were more important questions.

  
“Luke, do you know where you are?” The small child shook his head no as he snuggled in closer to Anakin. The elder frowned at this, but decided to move on. “Do you know how you got here?” Luke was silent for a second before he answered, his voice strained and barely audible.

  
“I wished…” Anakin’s frown deepened, but he didn't comment, hoping he might elaborate. “Save my father…” With that the boy finally passed out unknowingly in his father’s arms. Seeing the boy was definitely out for at least a little while, he let out a sigh as he slowly rose with the boy held tightly in his arms.

  
“Ani?” Padme approached slowly, looking uncertainly at the passed out boy. Anakin looked up from where he was studying the boy's face, and met his wife’s eyes. “He’s a Skywalker?” He nodded his head ever so slightly and Padme bit her lip as she stared at the boy in her husband’s arms. “So he’s our…” She trailed off not wanting to share the idea with the world, the love of her life however knew what she was thinking.

  
“I believe so.” Padme was silent for a second before she asked the other questions on her mind.

  
“What did he mean by ‘save his father’? And what happened to him?” In response he used his free arm to gently pull her into an embrace.

  
“I don't know, Angel. We can ask him when he wakes up.” His wife looked up at him in confusion.

  
“‘We’? I thought that you were going to take him to the temple to have him healed.” Anakin let out a sigh and moved their conversation into the living room. He sat down on the couch and Luke readjusted himself, cuddling up closer to his father. Now able to use his right arm, he dug into the pocket of his pants, removing his comlink.

  
“I'm going to call Obi-Wan. I need his advice, and…” He hesitated a second before meeting Padme’s eyes. “I think he needs to know the _whole_ situation.” She immediately reached out and placed her hand on his shoulder, giving it a light squeeze of reassurance.

  
“Ani, do whatever you think is right. I'll support your decision.” As she said this, she leaned her head against her husband’s shoulder and carefully reached over and brushed a few strands of hair out of Luke’s face.

  
Anakin gave his angel a kiss on the forehead as he laid a hand gently on her swollen belly. The stayed curled up as a family for a few precious minutes, before Luke whimpered quietly in his sleep, and they were once again reminded of his injuries. Bringing the comlink up to his mouth, and waited until his former master and closest friend picked up.

  
“Anakin? Why are you calling at this Force forsaken hour?” Anakin frowned at that, he was wide awake and hadn't considered the time.

  
“I'm sorry Obi-Wan, but … something has happened that I need your input on.”

  
“Well, what is it?”

  
“I'd prefer to speak to you about it in person. I'm currently at Senator Amidala's apartment.” His surrogate brother’s sigh was clearly heard over the comlink.

  
“What did you do, Anakin?” Obi-Wan’s exasperation was also very clear.

  
“Please Obi-Wan. Just come over to her apartment. I promise I'll explain everything when you get here.” Anakin made sure that none of his annoyance crept into his voice, just wanting his former master to be there to support him.

  
“I'm not going to have to save you again, am I?” Silently Anakin flinched at the word save. Luke had said he was here to _save_ his father.

  
“No, I don't believe you are.”

  
“Okay, I'll be there as soon as possible.”

  
“Thank you.” With that, Anakin shut off the comlink and let out a sigh as he leaned back into the couch. Padme gave his shoulder another squeeze before getting up off the couch and walking back into their bedroom.

  
Anakin took this time to look more closely at the boy who was sitting in his lap. Could he really be their son? If someone had told him that his unborn son would appear to him as a young boy, he would have denied the plausibility of it. Yet here was a young boy, a perfect mix of himself and his wife.

  
He was drawn out of his thoughts when he heard his wife approaching him from their bedroom. She now had on more than the nightgown she had previously had on, and had his shirt in her hands. He gave her a nod of thanks as he accepted the article of clothing and pulled it on while being careful not to wake the boy on his lap.

  
“Ani, will you tell me what woke you earlier? And don’t tell me that it was nothing.” Anakin’s eyes fell to the floor as he took a couple of deep breaths. Padme waited patiently as she sat back down on the couch. After a few seconds he raised his eyes to meet her, and she was startled to see the pain and panic in them.

  
“I had a nightmare, like the ones about my mother.” As the blond man took a deep, shuddering, breath, his wife stayed silent, waiting to hear what he had to say. “Padme, it was horrible. You died in childbirth.” As he trailed off, he allowed his gaze to shift towards the boy laying in his lap.

  
“Oh, Ani. I promise you that’s not going to happen! All of my checkups so far have been perfectly fine. Nothing’s going to happen to me. We’re going to be the perfect little family.” Anakin curled his hand into a fist as he tried to control the anger he felt rising up in him.

  
“But obviously, everything is not going to be fine!” He spat out the last word as he threw his hand up in the air. “Why else would Luke be in the state he’s in? Why would he wish to save his father?” Aware of the sleeping child on his lap, he kept his voice to a fierce whisper.

  
“I don't know Ani, but I promise we'll get through this. Together, as a family.” She placed a hand on his knee, right next to Luke’s head. Both froze when a knock sounded from the door. Padme gave her husband a look that clearly told him they were not done talking about this.

  
She then rose from the couch and answered the door. As they were both expecting, Obi-Wan stood on the other side, looking rather concerned. His frown deepened when he saw it was a pregnant Padme who answered the door. Entering the apartment, he stopped in his tracks when he saw Anakin sitting on the couch with Luke on his lap.

  
“Anakin, what have you done?”


	3. Chapter 2

"Anakin, what have you done?" The man in question let out a sigh at his former master's immediate question, but really he shouldn't be so surprised.

"Obi-Wan, you should take a seat, this could take a while." Obi-Wan pursed his lips, but took his former padawan's advice and sat down in the open arm chair. He then motioned for him to go on. "The first thing you should know, is that I secretly went against the Code, and married Padme." Obi-Wan was silent for a second before speaking softly.

"I had known there was something between the two of you. I had wondered how far it went. How long?" Anakin couldn't quite place the emotion in his former master's voice, but he was too surprised by his words to really care much.

"At the very beginning of the war, right after Geonosis." The former padawan cast his gaze towards the floor, expecting a reprimand.

"Congratulations." The blond's head whipped up suddenly, his eyes wide as he stared at his surrogate brother. "Especially if Padme's condition is anything to go by. I do believe it's been about seven months since we were last on Coruscant."

"You're not… you're not angry?" Anakin blinked several times as he stared at his former master.

"I'm a little annoyed that you didn't tell me sooner, but no, I'm not angry." Anakin's sigh of relief was clear as he sagged back into the couch a little. "Besides, it would be a little hypocritical of me to condemn you for breaking the rule of attachment. I've always known my attachment to you surpassed what the Code deemed appropriate. I've always loved you like a brother."

Anakin beamed at Obi-Wan as he felt his heart soften, his eyes misting over. He had his approval, and he also now knew his master felt the same way he had for years. As a little boy thrown into a whole new galaxy, he'd latched onto the first rock he could find; his master.

"So have I." Everyone in the room ignored the voice crack as Anakin whispered this. Obi-Wan gave him a reassuring smile, and looked towards where Luke was lying on his lap.

"Now, I am curious as to who that is." Anakin let out a sigh and gently brushed some of the boy's hair out of his face.

"He's the main reason we called you. He just showed up maybe thirty minutes ago in a flash of light. He was awake for a little bit. He said that his name was Luke Skywalker…" The blond trailed off to let the news sink in.

"He's a Skywalker? Does that mean he's your brother?" Anakin shook his head.

"My mother died three years ago, and I was her only biological child then. He's also said the he was here to save his father." Obi-Wan glanced between the sleeping boy and Padme.

"Anakin, you know how far-fetched that is. You really think he's from the future?" He looked at his former master and gave a firm nod of his head.

"It's a wild guess that _feels_ right. You've always told me to trust my instincts" His former master let out a sigh at this, but still nodded. He had just opened his mouth to say something, when Luke started to whimper in his sleep.

Immediately the three adults had concerned looks focused on him. The boy's whimpers quickly grew to a full on wail as he writhed in phantom agony. Padme became panicked at this, but didn't dare get in the way of the two Jedi.

"Luke, it's okay. It's just a dream. You're perfectly safe." Anakin was trying to calm Luke down by talking to him. From the corner of his eye, he saw his former master reach out to touch the boy's forehead, presumably to try and calm him down with the Force. "Don't!"

Anakin's warning came too late. Obi-Wan had brushed Luke's forehead, and like when Anakin had brushed the boy's mind before, Obi-Wan was violently thrown away. The Jedi stumbled backwards surprised at the force behind the boy's mental lash out. The boy however let out another terrified, pain filled wail.

"Father!" The pleading in the boy's voice pulled at the heartstrings of all of them present, but Anakin was affected the most. He immediately reached out and gently pulled the boy to his chest. Immediately Luke buried his head in the folds of the tunic, his cries already softening.

The Jedi knight was surprised when he felt Luke clumsily reach out and latch onto his Force signature through the Force. After the boy's obvious aversion to people touching him with the Force, it warmed his heart that he would seek him out as comfort.

"Luke?" With pain addled senses, Luke slowly opened his eyes and found himself looking up at the same blue eyes from before. He vaguely recalled their previous conversation, but that didn't matter very much to him. He felt safe. He was warm and he could push aside his pains and focus on the bright, warm presence he felt in the Force.

He'd never felt someone in the Force like it before. Before he'd only ever felt his father's dark grey or the emperor's twisted black presence. A shudder ran through the small boy as he thought about the emperor, and he immediately buried himself back into the bright Force signature to chase away the memory.

"Luke?" The blond boy looked up, and met the man's bright blue eyes. A small smile broke out on the man's face, and Luke felt his heart skip a beat. He reminded him so much of his father, for a reason he couldn't quite place. At that thought however, he wilted. His father was dead. And he couldn't have done anything to have prevented it. "My name's Anakin Skywalker."

Luke let out a gasp as he heard this. His head jerked up and he gazed into the man's blue eyes. They were identical to his own, just like his father's. And to the left of his eyes was a scar the same one his father had. The one he'd been told he'd received before he'd fallen.

Slowly, with difficulty and agony seizing his muscles, he reached his small hand up and, after a second of hesitation, ghosted his fingers along the scar. It was as real as all the other times he'd done so before.

"Father!" Luke cried this out as he flung his arms around the man's neck, ignoring the agony the movement brought, and clung to his lifeline. His wish came true! He could save his father. He however missed the look that passed between the three adults. A few happy tears leaked out of his eyes. He jerked slightly when a small, soft hand brushed his tears away.

"Why are you crying?" The blond boy looked towards the woman who had asked this and was confused as to who she was. She looked vaguely familiar, but he was just grasping at a wisp of a memory. Then he noticed she was pregnant, and the pieces clicked together. She was his mother, and he didn't have very long to save his father. As much as he wanted to find out everything he could about her, he had to save his father first.

"Luke?" The boy in question immediately looked towards his father again. "Can I ask you a few questions?" He nodded and leaned against his father's chest once again. It aggravated his injuries, but that didn't matter because he was close to his father. "How old are you?"

"Just turned seven." And what a horrible birthday it had been. He shuddered at the thought of it, and pushed it away. He didn't see his father's frown at the shudder, and only felt the comfort as his father threaded his hand through his hair. Luke's eyelids started to droop as he felt unconsciousness closing in on him again.

"Do you know where you are?" Anakin asked this, despite having asked it before, wondering if Luke even remembers their previous conversation.

"Past." His response was hardly louder than a whisper. Luke's answer wasn't quite what Anakin was expecting, but it was another piece of the puzzle snapping together.

"How'd you get here?" He already had an inkling of an idea of what happened, but he wanted to know what the boy thought.

"Force… Wished myself here." Anakin nodded, though he doubted the boy noticed if the boy's tired responses were anything to go off of. Absently he realized he was running his hand through the younger blond's hair.

"What did you wish?" He already knew thanks to his earlier questions, but he wanted to see if the boy would answer the same again.

"Save you." Luke's voice was even softer and had a tremor to it as he started to snuggle closer to his father's chest.

"Save me?" Anakin's frown went unnoticed by the boy on his lap. He was a Jedi in the prime of his youth. What could a seven year old possibly save him from?

"From the emperor and the dark." Luke made an effort to get the whole idea out, and he still shook violently and was barely restraining tears as he spoke. Anakin immediately felt the need to comfort him. He wrapped his arms around the boy as he looked towards Obi-Wan for help. Answering his former padawan's silent pleas, Obi-Wan spoke up.

"The dark? As in the Dark Side?" Luke's head snapped towards Obi-Wan, as he shrank into his father's embrace. For a second he just stared at the other Jedi, before recognition seemed to dawn on his face. The blonde haired boy then started to shed the tears he had been holding back as he clung to his father's chest.

Luke had always had conflicted feelings about Darth Vader's, his father's, former master, whom he'd only ever remembered meeting as a ghost. It certainly wasn't helped by Vader's own jumbled emotions about him. His father had always harbored hatred for the man, yet also reminisced about their times as master and padawan and during the clone war.

Darth Vader had always blamed him for his wife's betrayal, and his continued servitude to Palpatine due to his suit and unhealable injuries. Above all else though, he'd hated the Jedi for having tried to hide his own children away from him.

Seeing him in person however, sent a spike of fear through the seven year old. He'd just found his father, alive and well, he didn't want to be taken away from him so soon. Luke clung to his father even harder, ignoring the pain of his spasming muscles.

"No!" He shouted this as loud as he could, which to say wasn't very loud. Fresh tears started to leak from his eyes as he buried his face into his father's tunic. Anakin frowned as he gently held the boy close to him, and looked towards to his former master.

Obi-Wan hadn't moved from his seat across the living room, and was looking just as confused as to the boy's reaction. However when he started to rise from the chair, Anakin immediately motioned for him to stop. Glaring at his former master to make sure he didn't come any closer, he then focused his attention back on the crying boy on his lap.

"Little one? Look at me." After a second the boy complied and met his father's eye again. "Everything is fine, Obi-Wan isn't going to hurt you." Luke nodded but refused to let go of his father, instead he found himself leaning heavily on him as he struggled to keep his eyes open. "Go to sleep. I'll still be here."

Luke nodded his head a couple of times before his eyes finally drooped close. The three adults in the room were silent as they listened to the small boy's slightly labored breathing even out. They all let out a sigh of relief as the boy loosened his grip on Anakin's tunic, showing that he really was unconscious.

"What should we do?" Anakin asked this as he looked towards his former master. Obi-Wan let out a sigh as he looked at the fast asleep boy.

"I do think that a blood test is in order, but I also think that his health is a more pressing concern. You need to take him to the temple." The elder Jedi hesitated for a second before continued. "I also believe you should tell the Jedi council."

Anakin let out a sigh and looked over at his wife. His angel reached over and grasp his hand, giving it a comforting squeeze. They locked eyes, and she gave him a nod, and he returned a small smile before looking back at Obi-Wan.

"Okay."


	4. Chapter 3

_ They locked eyes and she gave him a nod, and he returned a small smile before looking back at Obi-Wan.  _

_ "Okay.” _

Anakin said this with a slightly shaky breath, and the three adults in the room stared at each other for a second before breaking eye contact. Obi-Wan then started to rise from his chair, only to have the older blond speak up once again.

"Master, there is something else I need to talk about.” Immediately, the older man sank back down into his arm chair, his eyes focused on his former Padawan. Realizing what her husband was about to do, Padme rested her hand on Anakin's shoulder, giving it a slight squeeze. "Before Luke showed up in the hallway, I was already awake because of a nightmare. It was like those nightmares about my mother, so vivid and the feeling of absolute dread. Padme died in childbirth, and I'm afraid this one will come true, just like the ones of my mother did.”

The older man let out a small sigh, but didn't try to chastise the younger man, despite the fact he did not believe that his former Padawan had any reason to worry. It was clear to Obi-Wan that Anakin was going to be stubborn in his belief this would come to pass.

"While this is a very unsettling topic, I believe we should focus our attention on Luke right now. Padme still has a month and a half or longer until she is due. We have time.” In response to his surrogate brother's reasoning, Anakin gave a small nod before turning towards his wife, and planting a kiss on her forehead. "Let's head over to the temple, Luke needs to be seen by a healer, and we need to talk to the Council.”

Anakin nodded his head and gathered Luke closer to his chest, before standing up with the young boy in his arms. Padmé followed her husband into standing, moving closer to him as she did so. The brunette smiled at the older blond, and ran her hand through the sleeping blond's hair a couple of times, smiling even wider when he subconsciously leaned into her hand. 

She wrapped her arm around her husband's waist and leaned against his shoulder. He leaned over and placed a kiss on her forehead, before stepping away and starting towards the door of the apartment. Obi-Wan followed the couple out, and hurried ahead of them to get his speeder ready to leave. 

The group was silent throughout the ride to the Jedi Temple. The Jedi Master found it weird that he was the one driving, having hardly been in the driver's seat ever since his Padawan earned his licence. However one glance into the back seat brought a small smile to his face, and he was more than happy to be the one driving. 

Both Anakin and Padmé sat in the backseat, Luke still fast asleep and clinging to the blond man. Every once in awhile Padmé would reach over and brush the small wisps of hair out of Luke's face, while Anakin looked down at the young boy's face with pure love. Obi-Wan could clearly see the Jedi Knight was taken with the idea the lad was the unborn child his wife was currently pregnant with.

Anakin worried slightly as they got closer and closer to the temple that Luke started to get more and more restless. After a brief brush of Luke's mind reaching out to his, the older blond remembered the boy's initial hate of mental contact. He could clearly feel the growing presences at the temple, and he wouldn't be surprised if that was causing the boy's discomfort.

When they arrived at the Temple, Obi-Wan parked the speeder, and followed the couple towards the steps that led to the main entrance. Waiting for them at the top between the front most pillars was the diminutive green form of the Grand Master. 

"Master Yoda.” Obi-Wan bowed to the older Jedi Master, while Anakin tried to be as proper as possible. However the younger was only able to bow his head as Luke squirmed slightly in his sleep and still clung to him like he was going to disappear at any second. 

"Sensed a disturbance in the Force, I did. Believed Skywalker was involved. Correct, I was. Come inside. Much to discuss the Council does.”

Yoda started to move to the entrance when Anakin spoke.

“Master, Luke is hurt, would it be possible to call a Healer here to take Luke to the Halls of Healing?” The Grand Master gave him a slight smile.

"Expecting an injury we were. Inside the doors a healer waits.” Anakin once again nodded his head in respect. The smallest of those gathered on the steps of the Temple then turned and led the mix matched group into the building behind them. 

Meeting them just inside the doors of the temple, was one of the Jedi healers. She gave a respectful bow to the two Masters, but let out a small coo when she saw Luke in Anakin's arms. Immediately she stepped towards him, her hands out to take the young blond. 

“I had assumed that I was going to be treating you Skywalker, not tending to a young lad.” By now Luke had woken up enough to realize that someone was trying to remove him from his father's arms. The boy immediately clung tighter to his father, despite the pain that flared up because of the movement. Luke refused to leave him, if only for a few minutes, afraid of what could happen to his father in that time span. "You have nothing to worry about child. You can let go of Knight Skywalker.”Luke shook his head no almost viciously as he wrapped his arms around his father's neck, refusing to let go. 

The Healer frowned at this, and walked around to unclasp the boy's hands, planning on forcing him to let go of the Jedi Knight. When the boy still refused, she decided to urge the boy to let go, and possibly to go back to sleep. However as soon as she touched his mind, she was thrown violently backwards as the boy yelled in protest and lashed out with the Force. 

Obi-Wan was helping the Healer to her feet immediately, as Anakin apologized on Luke's behalf. The older blond then turned his attention towards attempting to calm the younger. He gently wrapped his Force presence around the boy, which immediately had the desired effect. Luke calmed down as he snuggled as close as he could to his father, both physically and in the Force. 

“Bring the child, the best idea it is. Checked over later he will be.” Yoda said this as he stood near where Obi-Wan and the Healer were. The Healer gave a respectful bow along with a polite ‘Yes Master.’ before turning and heading towards the Halls of healing. After briefly watching her leave, Yoda motioned towards the Hallway that would lead them to the Council Chambers. 

Master Yoda and Master Kenobi led the group, walking nearly side by side, the younger of the two half a step behind as a sign of his respect to the elder. The Jedi Knight stayed behind the two Jedi Masters, allowing them to converse quietly between each other. He was well aware that they were more than likely speaking about him and their mysterious guest, he also was too preoccupied with the boy in his arms to care. 

Padmé silently followed the three Jedi, having hardly ever been inside the home of the Jedi before, although she assumed they were going towards the Council Chamber. Her eyes wandered over Luke’s form as he clung to her husband, and she placed her hand over her swollen stomach. She felt a kick, almost like they wanted her attention on them and not on Luke. 

The brunette bit her lip as she thought about the twins, her last check-up had confirmed her suspicions about that. She has still asked for their genders to be a surprise. Luke told her that she had at least one son that looked just like his father. 

But Luke hadn’t mentioned a sibling, not that he’d had spoken much about when he’s from. What little he had said unsettled her, mostly that he hadn’t mentioned her. Where was she in the future?

Padme was drawn from her thoughts when the Jedi in front of her stopped before a pair of large doors. After a second the doors slid open to allow the group entrance to the Council Chamber. 

Once inside, Obi-Wan and Yoda took their seats on the Council. The other Masters looked towards the Grand Master for the start of the meeting. With a nod to the other Council members, Yoda started the meeting, his attention focused on Anakin and Luke’s barely visible form as he continued to hide from the rest of the world. 

“Knight Skywalker, earlier this night we all felt a disturbance in the Force. The Council was just about to convene when Master Kenobi received a comlink from you, asking for his assistance. With Master Yoda’s approval, he went to assist you. Now the Council would like to inquire what happened to require Obi-Wan’s presence.” 

Jedi Master Mace Windu started off the meeting, directly addressing his perceived root of the problem, Anakin himself. Anakin gave him a polite nod of the head, which earned him a raised eyebrow as well as an unimpressed look from the Jedi. 

“Council, the disturbance in the Force was the arrival of an unexpected guest.” Mace Windu interrupted the Jedi Knight. 

“The Council has already come to the conclusion that the disturbance had come from you. We agreed that it felt the same as your Force signature. Care to explain this?” Anakin managed to stay calm and respectful despite the goading. 

“Master, the Force disturbance came from Luke.” As Anakin said this, he moved the boy away from himself slightly so the Council could see him better. It was mainly to show the boy’s face, which was nearly identical to his own. He saw brief flickers of emotions pass through several of the Council members’ eyes as he did this, but it was too quick to be able to determine what any of them were. “Luke Skywalker,” Several slight gasps were heard, but the Jedi Knight ignored it in favor of pressing through with the story. “Appeared suddenly in Padme and my apartment. He was in great pain, but managed to tell me his name, as well that he had wished that he could save his father, before passing out.”

Anakin paused to let the idea sink in for all of the Council members. Several of them already had frowns and other signs of disapproval on their faces. Only Obi-Wan and Yoda continued impassive. But Anakin knew he already had his former Master’s approval, and he trusted Yoda to wait until all of the facts were on the table. Out of the corner of his eye, he caught sight of his beloved wife giving him an encouraging smile.

“Skywalker, are you telling us that Luke here is your son?” Windu leaned forward as he spoke, almost as if he was daring the younger Jedi to agree with the statement. 

“I am nearly certain of it.”

“How can you not be certain? Can’t you ask the mother?” Briefly Mace’s eyes flickered towards Padme, not very long, but Anakin still caught it, and knew what the older Jedi was implying. 

“The only child I am aware of is the one my wife is currently pregnant with.” As he said this, the Jedi Knight gently pulled his wife to his side and wrapped the arm that wasn’t supporting Luke around her waist. Anakin however did not allow the Council time to comment and continued to plough through what he had to say. “However, the Force is telling me that Luke is in fact my son. After he arrived in our apartment, I contacted Obi-Wan, unsure of what to do. When he arrived I explained what was going on, and while I was doing so, Luke woke up again. He elaborated more on what I had gotten out of him earlier. Luke is from the future, and he wished to come back in time to save me from the dark side of the Force. The Force granted his wish.”

There was a beat of silence as the information was absorbed by the council, before the entire Council, save for Obi-Wan and Yoda, all burst out, all speaking at the same time with their objections.

Luke, who had been quiet the entire time despite having been talked about, tensed in his father’s arms, and attempted to snuggle as close as possible once again. Sensing Luke’s discomfort, his father followed his instincts. Gently pressing his son’s head against his chest, and resting his chin on the younger blond’s head as he stroked his back. Unfortunately this didn’t seem to help much as Mace Windu took the floor, directing his words towards the Jedi Knight. 

“Do you hold no respect for the Code that you have been taught? Do you believe that you can just do whatever you wish? With the number of infractions that have been revealed tonight, you should be  _ expelled, _ and who knows what other rules you have broken that you  haven’t told us about.” A number of the other Council members started to verbally agree with Master Windu until several loud thumps echoed throughout the Chamber causing all to fall silent and turn their attention towards where Grand Master Yoda sat. The ancient Jedi’s walkingstick was the source the sound. 

“Known about Skywalker’s relationship for a while, I have.” One of the Jedi Masters that had yet to really voice their opinion spoke up at that point, shock clear in their voice.

“And you have done nothing about it?” Another felt the need to have their input heard. 

“Skywalker should have been immediately expelled from the order.” 

“Relatively unconcerned, I am. Other matters more pressing, there are.” The diminutive green Jedi looked towards the young boy who was still shaking in his father’s arms.

“Master Yoda, Skywalker has completely broken the Code  _ multiple times _ , without punishment. Something has to be done about him! Not only has he married Senator Amidala, she is now pregnant with his child.” Mace Windu tried once again to reason with the Grand Master, uselessly pointing out Skywalker’s faults yet another time. 

“Well aware of the situation, I am. Need not to be lecture, I do. Exceptions to every rule there are. Unique with the Force Skywalker is. Need more to ground him in the light side he does. An anchor family is for him. Seen already I have, the loss of family.” Yoda met Anakin’s eyes as he said this, after a second the younger broke away with an ashamed look on his face. “Avoid this again at all costs we should. Meet later the Council shall again. Taken to the Halls of Healing Young Skywalker does.” With that the Grand Master gave a final nod to the stunned Council, got down off of his seat with a little huff, and wandered out of the chamber. 


	5. Chapter 4

The Council Chamber was silent for a second after the doors closed and no one moved. The moment was broken when Obi-Wan stood up from his seat. He gave a knowing nod to Anakin before he started towards the exit. Following his surrogate brother's example, Anakin silently drew his wife to him with his free arm, gave the remaining Council a respectful nod, and then exited the room as well. 

Both of the Jedi Masters who had already left were waiting for them outside the Council Chamber. The Jedi Knight flashed a small smile towards the younger of the two Masters as they followed the older of the two. The walk to Halls of Healing was quick and quiet, after all it was still in the middle of the night. 

Upon entering the Halls of Healing, the Healer who had met them originally took one look at them, and went to fetch the other Healer on duty. He was initially confused why she’d need his help, but upon seeing who was standing in the ward, he didn't blame her. 

Master Kenobi had always had a severe dislike of the healers ever since he was a Padawan, a trait which was unfortunately passed into his own Padawan. Keeping either one in their room was a challenge, and now he was faced with both of them, Skywalker holding a small boy, and a woman he was pretty sure he recognized as the senator from Naboo. 

“Looked over the boy needs.” The healer, surprised looked down to see the Grand Master barely coming up to his knee. Giving him a polite nod, he turned towards the boy in Skywalker’s hands. He assumed that's who Master Yoda had meant, but he easily could have been talking about any of them, they were all children to him. Reaching out to take the boy, Skywalker gave a small shake of his head.

“I don't know if that's a good idea. He's rather attached to me.” The healer allowed a small frown to grace his face, but Yoda didn't say anything. He just gave a curt nod to Knight Skywalker and led him along with the rest of the odd little party into an empty room. 

“Little One, will you take your jacket and shirt off so the Healer can look you over?” The Healer was surprised to see that the boy was not asleep as he originally thought. The boy shook his head no, and then tried to bury himself even more into Knight Skywalker’s arms with a small whimper. 

Skywalker then looked almost pleadingly towards his former Master. In a look that was too short to have been a mental conversation, Kenobi stepped forward, and slowly waved his hand next to the boy. Carefully the seams of Luke’s thin jacket started to come unraveled, the shirt underneath following quickly. 

The Healer could see the boy visibly start to shake, whether he was cold, or scared he couldn't quite tell. From a distance, he could see that the boy was worryingly underweight, and obviously hadn't been well taken care of wherever he'd come from. Coming closer, he let out a small gasp, now being able to clearly see the scarring that cover most of the little boy’s chest. 

The pattern was faint, but he could easily see the mockery of a spiderweb, crisscrossing every which way. Anakin inhaled sharply at the reveal of the scars, which he easily recognized from his own exposure to Force Lightning. In a second, Obi-Wan squeezed his shoulder in a silent display of support for his brother. 

“Test his blood you must. Treat him then you should.” The Healer gave a brief nod towards the diminutive green Force user as he rushed around to get things set up for a Bacta immersion. Briefly the Healer stopped to take a quick sample of Luke’s blood, frowning when he realized that he was running a bit of a fever. If anything this sped the Healer up in his getting ready. After a few more minutes, the Healer stopped in front of the mix matched group.

“The blood test doesn’t need to be done before he goes in does it?” When he was met with nos from the entire group he let out a relieved sigh. “Good, in that case we have a Bacta tank ready for him.” Motioning for Anakin to follow him, the Healer quickly got the now unconscious child into the equipment needed and into the Bacta tank. 

The young Jedi Knight stared at his son for nearly a minute, hating to have ever seen  his child hurt enough to warrant the use of a Bacta tank. Pulled from his thoughts by the Healer’s hand on his shoulder, he was then led back to his wife, surrogate brother, and the Grand Master Jedi. 

“What exactly were the tests you wanted me to run on the boy’s blood?” The Healer asked this as he stepped up to the computer, blood sample in hand. 

“A check for infections, a Midichlorian count, and a parentry check.” Obi-Wan stated this only getting a nod from the Healer as he put the requests into the computer. There were a few seconds of silence as the group waited anxiously. 

“Outside here, spoken of the results shall not be.” Yoda said this, clearly directed at the Healer, and as he finished, the computer beeped to let them know the results were complete. The Healer gave a nod towards the Master, and then started to read out the results.

“There is no sign of infection in his blood.” He then paused for a second. “I’m not sure if this is right Master, it says his Midichlorian count is over twenty thousand, higher than yours Master Yoda…” There was an even greater pause as he looked at the results of the third test. “Master, something  _ must _ be wrong with these results, they say that Knight Skywalker is the boy’s father.” A small smile split the small green Master’s face at this. 

“Wrong the results are not. Suspected this we already had. Merely proving it, we were.” The Healer gave a small nod and Yoda turned towards the other members of the group. “Late it is. Sleep we all should.” Obi-Wan gave a polite nod of his head, agreeing with the older Master. 

“With all due respect Master, I would rather stay here and watch over Luke.” The diminutive Master gave a grunt of consent, and Anakin directed his attention to his wife and brother. “Obi-Wan, would you show Padme to my chambers?” Seeing a nod from his brother, Anakin drew his wife close, placing a kiss on her forehead as he gently embraced her. That was as much as he was willing to show his affections inside the Temple, despite the Council’s knowledge of the relationship. “Good night Angel.”

“Night Ani.” Padme responded before accepting Obi-Wan’s arm as they left. Yoda gave another small noise of approval as he slowly made his way out of the Halls of Healing. Turning back around, Anakin found the Healer just staring with his mouth wide open. Choosing to ignore him, Anakin led himself back to the tank his son was in. 

The Jedi Knight quietly moved the bench in the room closer to the tank. Sitting down, he leaned back so he was supported by the Bacta tank. Anakin closed his eyes and slowly reached out into the Force, seeking out his son’s presence. 

Feeling the lack of pain and discomfort from his son made Anakin smile. He then allowed himself to drift off into sleep, unknowingly being pulled into his son’s nightmare. 

 

_ The Jedi Knight was confused when he felt a stifling wave of heat roll over him. Opening his eyes, he was met with a dark, rocky landscape. Slowly Anakin spun in a circle taking in his surroundings.  _

_ To his left was his Jedi Starfighter, and up ahead in front of him was some sort of building. What surprised him the most was Luke’s small form that stood only a few feet away, staring at the building.  _

_ “Luke!” Upon hearing his name, the blond haired boy in question spun around with a startled gasp. It felt like a thousand knives stabbing into his heart when he saw the fear clearly visible in his son’s eyes. Luke did a quick double take over his shoulder, looking back at the building.  _

_ A shadow of movement from the building sent the boy running into his father’s arms, a few tears trailing down his face. Luke’s breathing was rapid as he buried his face in his father's tunic. He knew exactly what was going on, what they were about to see, and he really didn't want to see it again. _

_ “No, please… I don't wanna.” The barely seven year old cried this softly into the Jedi Knight’s chest. Through their slowly forming bond, Luke could feel his father's confusion, and he realized that his father didn't know what was going on.  _

_ “Luke? What’s wrong?” The boy in question clung to his father tighter. Anakin started to gently stroke his son’s back in an effort to calm him down.  _

_ “I don't wanna see you turn to the Dark Side again.”  His son’s voice was barely a whisper as he confessed to his father what this nightmare was about. Holding him closer, Anakin's breath hitched as he saw Padme's ship coming to land near his own Starfighter.  _

_ Dread pooled in his stomach at this, getting a bad feeling why Luke had never mentioned Padme. Another shadow of movement from the building revealed himself, running towards Padme's ship. Fear came from his fledgling blond with his son, encouraging him to pick up his son and hold him as close as possible.  _

_ Anakin watched as his other self embraced his wife, who was still very pregnant. Padme called out his name as they embraced, and the other Anakin pulled back slightly.  _

_ “It's alright, you're safe now.” He paused for a second before continuing. “What are you doing out here?” Padme leaned back into her husband's embrace, resting her cheek against his chest.  _

_ “I was so worried about you. Obi-wan told me terrible things.” Anakin could easily see his other self stiffen and his face darken at the mention of his former Master, and he couldn't help but wonder why that was.  _

_ “What things?” The other Anakin almost growled this out, and the real one rested his chin on top of his son's head, rubbing circles on his back in an effort to stop his son's trembling and his own worries.  _

_ “He said you'd turned to the Dark Side…” The Jedi Knight's breath hitched again. Luke has already told him that this was his fall, but to hear the words from his beloved’s mouth was completely different. “He said you'd killed younglings…” _

Flashes of himself standing in the Temple with a group of initiates, the oldest not much older than Luke. A boy in the front was looking up at the other Anakin, pleading to know what to do. Then his own lightsaber sprung from it's casing as his other self started to cut down the younglings. 

_ Anakin gasped as he was pulled back to the nightmare he was sharing with his son. He tried to get his breathing under control  as he turned his attention back towards his other self and his wife.  _

_ “Obi-Wan is trying to turn you against me.” The Jedi Knight couldn't understand why he would turn against his brother of all but blood, let alone why he would also try to get Padme against him as well.  _

_ “He cares about us! He knows… he only wants to help.” Seeing the other Anakin’s reaction to the use of us, he could only guess that in that version, he'd never told his former Master about Padme, and his dreams about her dying. He was confused why he hadn't for a second, before realizing that he probably wouldn't have told Obi-Wan if Luke hadn't showed up.  _

_ “Is Obi-Wan going to protect you?” The Jedi Knight couldn't help but think about his own challenge, and answer it as yes. Obi-Wan would protect Padme, even against Anakin himself, knowing how much she meant to him. Lost in his own thoughts, he missed the rest of what his other self said, but heard Padme speak again.  _

_ “Anakin, all I want is your love.” As she said this, Padme tried to give the other Anakin a hug, only to be held back at arm's length.  _

_ “Love won't save you Padme, only my new found powers can do that.” Anakin shuddered at his own words, as well as the flash of gold in his eyes, a sign of the Dark Side.  _

_ “At what cost? You're a good person. Don't do this!” Once again Padme tried to hug his counterpart, only for him to turn away from her affections.  _

_ “I won't lose you the way I lost my mother! I've become more powerful than any Jedi has ever dreamed of and I've done it for you.” The other Anakin turned back to his wife, placing his hands on her slim shoulders. “To protect you.” Padme covered her husband's hands with her own, making eye contact with him.  _

_ “Come away with me. Help me raise our child.” Feeling Luke try again to borrow closer to him, Anakin silently vowed that Luke would not grow up in the same world. He would never allow this to happen. “Leave everything else behind while we still can.”  _

_ “Don't you see? We don't have to run away anymore. I have brought peace to the Republic. I am more powerful than the Chancellor. I can overthrow him, and together you and I can rule the galaxy. Make things the way we want them to be.” Anakin shuddered at his own words, he didn't want an empire, even if he was the ruler, Padme would never agree to it. The Padme talking to his other self didn't.  _

_ “I don't believe what I'm hearing… Obi-Wan was right. You've changed.” Once again the other Anakin turned away from his wife.  _

_ “I don't want to hear any more about Obi-Wan. The Jedi turned against me. Don't you turn against me.” The Jedi Knight could only think of the vision of himself cutting down younglings. It seemed to him that he'd turned against the the Jedi, not the other way around.  _

_ “I don’t know you anymore. Anakin you’re breaking my heart. I’ll never stop loving you, but you’re going down a path I can’t follow.” Even from a distance, Anakin could see the tears streaming down his beloved wife’s face.  _

_ “Because of Obi-Wan?” Padme shook her head as the other Anakin turned back to face her.  _

_ “Because of what you’ve done… What you plan to do. Stop, please just stop. Come back! I love you.” A slight shift in light drew all of their attentions towards the ramp of Padme’s ship, where Obi-Wan was standing. His lightsaber was in hand, but not yet activated.  _

_ “Liar!” Anakin yelled this, a dark look coming over his face as he started towards Obi-Wan while a small no escaped Padme. “You’re with him. You’ve betrayed me! You brought him here to kill me!” The fallen Jedi spoke as he continued to stalk towards Obi-Wan, lightsaber hilt appearing in his hand. Padme rushed forward, trying to reason with him.  _

_ “NO! Anakin, I swear…” She trailed off as the Dark Anakin lifted his hand, pointed towards her throat. Upon hearing her first gasp for air, Anakin set Luke down and rushed forward to stop himself from killing his wife.  _

_ He was nearly there when Luke’s small form barrelled into him, fresh tears leaking from his eyes. The young boy grabbed his father’s arm, trying to keep him from advancing. After a second, the father turned his attention to his son.  _

_ “You can’t help her. You only go right through them. Nothing you do can change anything.” Tears continued to fall from the boy’s eyes, and it dawned on him that he hadn’t thought of how seeing this was affecting his son.  _

_ Pulling the sobbing boy close once again, he watched as his wife slumped to the ground, his own tears trailing down his cheeks. He doesn’t pay much attention to his counterpart’s conversation with Obi-Wan, his thoughts still focused on his son. Luke had to have see this several times before. Almost like he’d read his father’s thought, Luke spoke up.  _

_ “You often have this dream when you sleep. You don’t sleep very often, but…” Luke trailed off, and Anakin simply held his son closer, rubbing his back in a calming motion. The older blond was having trouble wrapping his head around that even after all of this, he was still allowed to raise Luke.  _

_ The shouting match between his Dark self and Obi-Wan finally reached a volume that broke his train of thought.  _

_ “You have allowed this Dark Lord to twist your mind until now… Until now you have become the very thing which you have sworn to destroy.” Anakin noticed at some point they had both shed their bulky outer robes, and had begun to circle each other. Obi-Wan paused long enough to check on Padme, the brief look of relief on his brother’s face was enough to know Padme wasn’t dead.  _

_ “Don’t lecture me, Obi-Wan. I see through the lies of the Jedi. I do not fear the Dark side as you do. I have brought peace, justice, freedom, and security to my new Empire.” A shudder went down Anakin’s spine as he heard himself say this. _

_ “Your new empire?” The Dark Anakin ignited his lightsaber, pointing it towards his former Master’s throat.  _

_ “Don’t make me kill you.” Obi-Wan hesitated for a second as he thought about his next words. Glancing down at Padme’s prone form, he spoke again.  _

_ “Anakin, my allegiance is to the Republic… To Democracy.” Anakin heard Obi-Wan’s unspoken words, ‘to what Padme believes in’. The fallen Jedi Knight did not, and snarled his response out.  _

_ “If you’re not with me, you’re my enemy.” A look of reluctance and resignation crossed Obi-Wan’s face before settling into a neutral expression.  _

_ “Only a Sith Lord deals in absolutes. I will do what I must.” With that Obi-Wan ignited his lightsaber and the fallen Jedi sprung at him, starting a duel between brothers in all but blood.   _


	6. Chapter 5

_ Anakin watched for a minute as his dark counterpart leapt into a duel with Obi-Wan, both of their lightsabers blazing the same shade of sapphire blue. It was more than a little disorientating when he suddenly found himself closer to the fight again, after their vicious dance led them away from Padme.  _

_ The Jedi Knight abandoned observing the fight for observing his son, trying to comfort the boy as best he could. He also couldn’t stop thinking about Luke’s words of seeing this over again while in his darker self’s care.  _

_ “Luke,” At the sound of his name, the young boy snuggled closer to his father, his head pressed against his chest. Anakin let out a small sigh, and gently grasp his chin, slowly bringing the brilliant blue eyes of his son to me his own matching eyes. “Little One, this will never happen. I promise you. I won’t turn to the Dark Side.”   _

_ “But what if you can’t save mom? What if she still dies in childbirth?” Anakin hesitated and honestly thought about the presented scenario. Part of his mind refused to believe that he would lose his beloved no matter what he did, but glancing down again at his son made him certain of his decision.  _

_ “If that happens… I'll say goodbye to her, but I would have you to take care of. I won't allow you to be raised the way you were. I'll make sure that you never go through this.” Immediately the Jedi Knight found Luke clinging even tighter to his neck, fresh tears rolling down his cheeks, for once out of joy.  _

_ “Promise?” Luke's voice held so much hope in it, it hurt Anakin’s heart. He didn't want to think of what his child had gone through, to be hopeful that his father would keep him from harm.  _

_ “Promise.” His son flashed him one of the brightest smiles the Jedi Knight had ever seen, and then snuggled close once again. Happy to just be in his presence.  _

_ “And Leia too?” The words were mumbled by the fact the young boy still had his face buried against his father's chest. Luke felt more than heard his father’s questioning hum. Tilting his face away from Anakin's chest, the boy spoke again. “And Leia too?” Anakin's hand faltered slightly in the circles he was rubbing. _

_ “Leia?” Anakin thought he had to be talking about a friend Luke had made in the other timeline. He was wondering how he was supposed to respond, when his son spoke up again.  _

_ “She's my twin.” The Jedi Knight froze as he tried to comprehend what his son had revealed to him. Luke had a sister... He was a father to a son and a daughter… Padme is carrying twins… A smile broke out on Anakin's face and a small laugh bubbled up. He had a daughter! He sobered quickly though and gave his son a definite answer. _

_ “I will also take care of Leia, both of you are my children. I will never fall to the Dark Side, and I will always take care of both of you.”  Luke made an accepting noise as he once again buried himself in his father's embrace.  _

_ The father hesitated for a moment, wondering if he should bring it up so soon again, or to wait till later. After a few seconds, he decided to just get everything out of the way now.  _

_ “Luke, how is Leia doing?” The older immediately regretted his question upon feeling the younger stiffen in his arms. He heard his son take a shuddering breath, before speaking softly. _

_ “You, me and Leia tried to escape, and leave but The Emperor caught us… And he ordered for Leia to be killed.” Anakin could feel a wet spot growing on his tunic where Luke's cheek was, but didn't care. He only cared about how his son was holding up emotionally.  _

_ “How long were you with me before we tried to escape?” It felt weird to talk about himself like this, but figured it was the easiest way for Luke to understand.  _

_ “You found me when I was five at Aunt Beru and Uncle Owen’s house, and found Leia shortly after living with Mister Organa. You weren't very happy with Obi-Wan for hiding us…” Luke trailed off for a second, while at the same time, Anakin couldn't help but thank Obi-wan for trying to keep his children safe from himself. He knew Luke wouldn't have had the best life as a moisture farmer on Tatooine, but it certainly would have been better than what he had ended up with. “We tried to escape early in the morning on Leia and I’s birthday.  _

_ “But the Emperor stopped us, and killed Leia. We were then separated, and the blood guards threw me in a cell… Don't know how long I was there, only got a bit of food and water a couple of times. Not sure how long I was there until you were thrown in there too. The Emperor shocked us with lightning, and then left us alone together. You told me you biggest regret was trusting the Emperor, and then…” Luke's voice hitched as he trembled in his father's arms, trying not to think of how only a few hours ago, he was lying his father's arms as he died. “You… died.”  _

_ The word was barely whispered, and the boy immediately covered his face in his father's tunic. Seeking comfort, he reached out in the Force, latching onto Anakin’s bright Force presence. The older didn’t hesitate to open his mental arms, welcoming the younger with soothing pulses.  _

_ Father and son comforted each other mentally and physically for several silent minutes. No words were necessary as they understood the other’s basic emotions that formed before any thoughts could. The piece was shattered by a yell from the on going battle that they had both nearly forgotten about.  _

_ “It's over Anakin! I have the high ground.” Obi-Wan called this as he stood on the rocky shores of the lava planet, while the other Anakin stood on a floating platform out over the lava. A keen of pain came from Luke at the sight of this, knowing what was so come. Despite having not paid attention to the fight, Anakin knew it had been a ferocious one, thinking back on some of the evenly matched duels he'd shared with his master.  _

_ “You underestimate my power!” Watching himself ready to Force jump, Anakin already knew he would not be successful, he only worried how badly he would fail.  _

_ “Don't try it!” Obi-Wan, still obviously hurting from having to fight his former Padawan and surrogate brother, called out one last warning as he tightened his grip on his lightsaber. A few tears silently trailed down his face.  _

_ The fallen Jedi Knight ignored all of the warning spoken and unspoken, and still attempted to gain the higher ground. Using the Force to fuel his jump, he leapt high and far, flipping over his former Master. The Jedi Master followed his Padawan’s movements, his lightsaber flashing out to easily cut through flesh and bone. One large thud was followed by three smaller ones and one last tiny one that came from his lightsaber. _

_ Luke kept his head buried in his father's neck during the whole time, and Anakin found himself wishing he could have done the same with his surrogate brother to avoid the horror that had at one point been his own fate. His eyes flicker from looking down at his son, back to the scene in front of him. The Jedi Master had his head bowed in honor of the fallen Jedi Knight he'd failed to save from the lure of the Dark Side. Obi-Wan took a deep ragged breath, before he spoke with anger and hurt and an array of other emotions clearly heard in his voice.  _

_ “You were the Chosen One! They said you would destroy the Sith, not join them. It was you who would bring balance to the Force, not leave it in Darkness.” Obi-Wan almost choked as he bit out the last words, tears silently pouring down his cheeks. He turned away from his surrogate brother, closing his eyes for a second trying to center himself in the Force. Silently he called the weapon of a Jedi away from the new Sith Lord.  _

_ “I hate you!” The other Anakin screamed this at the older man’s back, causing him to stiffen and still for a second before turning back around showing his tear stained face.  _

_ “You were my brother Anakin, I loved you.” It nearly broke Anakin's heart to realize that in that version he'd never known of Obi-Wan’s love that went well beyond just the Master/Padawan bond, until he'd already fallen and rejected it. Obi-Wan turned away one last time, only hesitating slightly when the Fallen Jedi started screaming as his clothes and then himself were caught on fire by the lava.  _

_ Anakin was thankful when the screams faded away as everything around him changed. Now in front of him was a slowly tilting slab with a black encased form lying on it. His breath hitched as he caught sight of the heavily burned and charred face that was at the top. This was him. Slowly something descended from the roof, and It took him a second to realize that it was a mask.  _

_ In his arms, Luke shifted slightly so he could look around, not at all afraid of the imposing form in front of them. This was how he knew his father, this is who he thought of first, not the man whose arms he was in, and it was very clear they were two very different people.  _

_ A loud click popped out amongst all the other mechanical sounds in the room as the mask was fitted into place. The other sounds were then trumped once again by a harsh, wheezing, sound that originated from the black clad figure. It hit Anakin like a ton of duracrete, it was his breathing. A dark robed form entered the small room, fearlessly approaching the looming form. _

_ “Lord Vader, can you hear me?” Anakin shivered at the sound of the newcomer’s voice, knowing instantly this was the Sith Lord they'd been looking for, the one who created an Empire and became Emperor.  _

_ “Yes, my Master.” The heavily modified voice that came from the mask could hardly be recognized as his own, which was probably done on purpose, but wasn't a comforting thought. “Where’s Padme? Is she safe? Is she alright?” Anakin's blood boiled at the thought of this evil version of himself would be concerned about her. He had no right, he'd given that up the moment he'd started to choke her. There was a pause before the other Sith Lord spoke. _

_ “I'm afraid she died. It seems that in your anger, you killed her.” All around them, things started to shake as the Dark Side flooded the area, while the dark form yelled in protest. Anakin scowled as he thought over things, he couldn't have killed Padme immediately, Luke and Leia still had to be born.  _

Before he could really begin to think about it, Anakin suddenly found himself being shaken awake by the female Healer they had met earlier in the night. 

“You need to move so we can get him out of the Bacta tank.” She motioned towards where the male healer was waiting to get to the tank Luke was thrashing inside, still obviously in the midst of their share nightmare. The worried father was out of the Healer’s way in an instant as he reached out in the Force to try and calm his son. 

The boy's jerking movements slowed slightly, and once the male Healer was able to pull him from the tank, Luke’s eyes snapped open as he took a deep, shuddering breath. He reached his arms out towards his father, wanting to be held. The female Healer held a towel ready, and took him in her arms, her eyes going towards the other Healer in question. A nod later, and Anakin had his son in his arms once again. 

“He wasn't in the Bacta long enough to remove the scars, but he shouldn't suffer from any more side effects from the Force Lightning. And seeing his adverse reaction to the tank, we'll prescribe Bacta patches to remove the scars instead of another immersion.” Anakin absently nodded in response to the Healer’s words.

“May we leave, or do we have to spend the rest of the night here.” The Healer hesitated for a moment, before responding.

“You may both leave, so long as you take the Bacta patches with you. I know you know how to apply those.” There was a bit of disapproval in the second sentence, then again Anakin was famous for getting hurt and then patching himself up, much to the annoyance of all of the Healers as well as Master Kenobi. 

Anakin simple gave a respectful nod of his head, and extended a hand for the sealed package of Bacta patches. Once given them, he was on his way out of the Halls of Healing, hoping that he wouldn't have to return anytime soon. He did however want to return to his quarters where his wife was currently. 

Near silently, Anakin padded through the empty vast hallways of the Temple with Luke nodding off in his arms. The few other Jedi he past barely gave him more than a glance. Most were too tired to give him much thought, and those who weren't too tired had long since know about Anakin's insomnia as well as his habit of wandering around the Temple to try and exhaust himself. 

Reaching his quarters, he used the Force to slowly and quietly open the door in an attempt to keep both Padme and Luke asleep. His wife did not come greet him, so he assumed she was still asleep. His son however woke up slightly, only to cuddle back in close after a second. 

Quietly he entered his bedroom, smiling when he saw his sleeping Angel. He frowned though when he saw her start to stir. Still being quiet, he started to lay Luke down on the bed so he could join his son and wife in bed, but Luke refused to let go. Anakin tried to gently remove his arms from around his neck, but had no such luck. 

“Other side…” Luke's voice was soft, but there was something about it that screamed that he was set in his mind and was not going to give up until he got it. “Other side of mom.” Glancing at his wife, who had a sleepy smile of amusement on her face. 

She gave him a small nod, and he got up, taking Luke with him. Shifting over to the other side of the bed as Anakin walked around, he then laid his son down on the bed. Luke immediately curled up by Padme, gently resting his head on her swollen belly. 

Anakin smiled at this as he gave his Angel a quick kiss, and then settled down to sleep. A brief thought crossed his mind, and he gently felt the two Force signatures growing inside Padme. They were nearly identical, and it wasn't hard to understand why he'd never noticed before. Looking closer, he smiled as he realized why his son had insisted on laying on this side of Padme. Leia was on this side. With that thought, Anakin drifted peacefully off to sleep. 

* * *

When he awoke in the morning, Padme was also just waking up beside him while Luke continued sleeping peacefully. Anakin let the child continue to sleep while he quickly changed into fresh clothes. He then gently picked him up and led his wife into the small living area of his quarters.

A few seconds after entering the room, a soft knock sounded from the door on the side that connected his chambers to Obi-Wan’s right next door. A second after the knock ended, the door slid open to reveal Obi-Wan, who immediately looked towards Anakin with a slight frown. 

“Luke didn't react well to having a nightmare while in the Bacta tank. He shouldn't have any more issues from the Force Lightning, but I was given Bacta patches to help remove the scars.” Obi-Wan nodded in understanding, and then waited, sensing his brother had something else he wanted to say. “The nightmare… We shared it. It was a vision of my fall to the Dark Side in his timeline.” Anakin hesitated and Obi-Wan simply gave him an understanding smile. 

“Yoda has given you the day off. I'd suggest you return to Padme's apartment to have more privacy than here.” The Jedi Knight nodded in thanks and then looked towards Padme for approval. She gave him a smile and gently ran her hand through Luke's hair. “I'll give you a lift there.” 

The ride back to Padme's apartment was very much like the ride to the Temple last night. The only talking was the brief comm call Padme placed that called her in at the Senate for a sick day. 

Upon reaching the apartment, Obi-Wan said a brief good bye, before leaving. When the door swished open for them, they were both surprised to see the golden protocol droid they'd both honestly forgotten was there the night before. 

“Mistress Padme! Master Ani! Thank goodness you're alright. I was so worried when you weren't here when I booted up this morning. Oh! Good heavens! You have a child with you!” 


End file.
